George Ellis
George Ellis FRS FSARigg and Mills (19 December 1753 - 10 April 1815) was a Jamaican-born satirical English poet, antiquary, and Member of Parliament. He is best known for his Specimens of the Early English Poets and Specimens of Early English Metrical Romances, which played an influential part in acquainting the general reading public with Middle English poetry. Life Overview Ellis, the son of a West Indian planter, gained some fame by Poetical Tales by Sir Gregory Gander (1778). He also had a hand in the Rolliad, a series of Whig satires which appeared about 1785. Changing sides he afterwards contributed to the Anti-Jacobin. He accompanied Sir J. Harris on his mission to the Netherlands, and there collected materials for his History of the Dutch Revolution (1789). He edited Specimens of the Early English Poets (1790), and Specimens of the Early English Romances, both works of scholarship. He was a friend of Scott, who dedicated the 5th canto of Marmion to him.John William Cousin, "Ellis, George," A Short Biographical Dictionary of English Literature, 1910, 129. Web, Jan. 10, 2018. Youth Ellis, the only and posthumous son of George Ellis (died 1753), member of the house of assembly of St. George (Grenada, West Indies), by Susanna Charlotte, daughter of Samuel Long, member of the council of Jamaica, was born in 1753.Rigg, 276. Career He made his début in literature as the author of some mock heroic couplets on Bath, its beauties and amusements, published anonymously in 1777, 4to. In 1778 appeared Poetical Tales by Sir Gregory Gander, a 12mo volume which was at once attributed to Ellis and had much vogue. Horace Walpole calls the tales "pretty verses" ("Letter to the Earl of Strafford," 24 June 1783). Sir Gilbert Elliot, 1st earl of Minto, had "never read anything so clever, so lively, and so light." Years afterwards Scott refers to them in the introduction to the 5th canto of Marmion, which is addressed to Ellis. In 1783 Horace Walpole notes as a sign of the anglomania prevailing in France that Ellis was "a favourite" at Versailles. Ellis was one of the contributors to the Rolliad, and in particular is said to have written the severe attack on Pitt beginning "Pert without fire, without experience sage," in the 2nd number of the 1st part. In December 1784 he accompanied Sir James Harris, afterwards Lord Malmesbury, on his mission to the Hague, and was employed by him in diplomatic business, thus gaining an insight into the secret springs of the Dutch revolution of 1785-17577, of which he wrote a history, published anonymously in 1789, and translated by "Monsieur" (afterwards Louis XVIII) into French. A Memoir of a Map of the Countries comprehended between the Black Sea and the Caspian, published anonymously in 1788, has also been ascribed to Ellis.Rigg, 277. In 1790 he published a volume of selections from our early poetical literature, entitled Specimens of the Early English Poets,' which obtained a well-merited reputation as one of the most judicious of such compilations. It was issued in an enlarged form, with an historical sketch of the progress of English poetry prefixed, in 1801, and again in 1803, 3 volumes 8vo; a 4th edition appeared in 1811, a 5th in 1845, a 6th in 1851. In 1791 Ellis made a tour in Germany and Italy with Lord and Lady Malmesbury. He entered parliament in 1796 as junior member for Seaford, one of the Cinque ports, his cousin, Charles Rose Ellis (afterwards Baron Seaford) being the senior member. He never spoke in the house, and did not stand for re-election. He accompanied Lord Malmesbury to the conference at Lille in 1797, and wrote a long letter to Canning defending the English plenipotentiary's conduct of the negotiations. Shortly after his return to England he was introduced to Pitt, and in concert with Canning founded the Anti-Jacobin. His connection with the Rolliad, however, though condoned, was not forgotten, and once in Pitt's presence he was pressed to give some account of it. He hesitated and showed some embarrassment, which Pitt promptly dispelled by the urbane and gracious manner in which he turned to him with the words of Dido to Æneas: 'Immo age, et a prima dic, hospes, origine nobis' (Æn. i. 753). Ellis appears to have been a constant contributor to the Anti-Jacobin. He also edited in 1796, with a preface, notes, and appendix, Gregory Lewis Way's translations of select Fabliaux of the 12th and 13th centuries, taken from the collection of Legrand d'Aussy; a 2nd edition appeared in 1800, and a 3rd in, 1815, 3 volumes 8vo. He married on 10 September 1800 Anne, daughter of Sir Peter Parker, first baronet of Basingbourn, admiral of the fleet. In 1801 he made the acquaintance of Scott, an acquaintance which soon ripened into a friendship only terminated by death. A portion of the voluminous correspondence which passed between them will be found in Lockhart's Life of Scott, from which also we learn that on his visits to London Scott was accustomed to stay with Ellis at his house at Sunninghill, near Ascot. "Mr. Ellis," says Scott, "was the first converser I ever knew; his patience and good breeding made me often ashamed of myself going off at score upon some favourite topic' (Diary, 29 Aug. 1826). In 1806 Ellis published Specimens of Early English Romances in Metre, 3 volumes 8vo, a 2nd edition of which appeared in 1811, 8 volumes cr. 8vo. The work was also edited by J.G. Halliwell, F.R.S., in 1848. Ellis wrote the review of the "Lady of the Lake" in the Quarterly Review, May 1811. He began, but did not live to finish, an edition of the diary of his friend William Windham. The introductory sketch of Windham was, however, complete, and will be found in Mrs. Henry Baring's edition of the diary, published in 1866. Ellis was a fellow of the Royal Society and of the Society of Antiquaries. His labours on the early poetical dramatic literature of England obtained for him the designation of the Tressan and the St. Palaye of England. He died without issue on 10 April 1815. Recognition Ellis was a fellow of the Royal Society. The monument erected to his memory in the parish church of Gunning Hill, Berks, bears a fine inscription by Canning.Ellis, George, Encyclopædia Britannica 1911, 9, 293. Publications Poetry *''Bath: Its beauties and amusements''. 1776. *''Poetical Tales by Sir Gregory Gander''. Bath, UK: R. Crutwell, 1778. Non-fiction *''Memoir of a Map of the Countries between the Black Sea and the Caspian''. London: J. Edwards, 1788. *''History of the Late Revolution in the Dutch Republic''. London: Edwards, 1789. Edited *''Specimens of the Early English Poets''. London: Edwards, 1790, (3 volumes), London: W. Bulmer, for G. & W. Nicol, 1801. Volume I, Volume II, Volume III *Pierre Jean Baptiste Legrand d'Aussy, Fabliaux; or, Tales from French manuscripts (translated by G.L. Way). London, Bulmer, 1796; (2 volumes), London: W. Mulmer, for R. Faulder, 1800; (3 volumes), London: J. Rodwell, 1815. Volume I, Volume II *''Specimens of Early English Metrical Romances''. (3 volumes), London : Longman, Hurst, Rees, & Orme, 1805; London: Henry G. Bohn, 1847. Volume I, Volume II,Volume III Except where noted, bibliographical information courtesy WorldCat.Search results = au:George Ellist 1753-1815, WorldCat, OCLC Online Computer Library Center Inc. Web, June, 13, 2016. See also *List of British poets References * . Wiksource, Web, Jan. 10, 2018. * * * Notes External links ;Poems *"Elegy Written in a College Library" *"Ode to Jacobinism" *George Ellis at PoemHunter ("The Twelve Months") ;Books * *[https://archive.org/search.php?query=%22George%20Ellis%22%20Specimens Specimens of the Early English Poets and Specimens of Early English Metrical Romances] at the Internet Archive *[https://archive.org/search.php?query=%22George%20Ellis%22%20Fabliaux Fabliaux, or Tales] at the Internet Archive *[http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=LAoVAAAAQAAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false Bath: Its beauties and amusements] at Google Books ;Audio / video * ;About *George Ellis in the [[Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition|1911 Encyclopædia Britannica]] *George Ellis (1753-1815) at English Poetry, 1579-1830 *Ellis, George (1753-1815) at History of Parliament Online * Ellis, George (1753-1815) Category:1753 births Category:1815 deaths Category:People from Sunninghill Category:People educated at Westminster School, London Category:Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge Category:Jamaican non-fiction writers Category:Jamaican male poets Category:Jamaican male writers Category:British male poets Category:18th-century antiquarians Category:19th-century antiquarians Category:English satirists Category:Historians of English literature Category:English book editors Category:English poets Category:British medievalists Category:Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for English constituencies Category:British MPs 1790–96 Category:British MPs 1796–1800 Category:Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for English constituencies Category:UK MPs 1801–02 Category:English male poets Category:18th-century Jamaican poets Category:18th-century Jamaican people Category:18th-century poets Category:English-language poets Category:Poets